Rebirth

“Tom….Tom Riddle.”

“Nice to meet you Tom.” Harry replied, forcing a relaxed smile onto his face as best he could.

It was probably a coincidence, like everything else. After all Voldemort looked like his father and had the same name, so twice in a row was possible. He sighed silently as Tom's attention was drawn to the sound of students crossing the hallway. The problem is that Voldemort and his father had certain differences that weren't there here, it was a perfect copy down to the last detail. He really felt like he was in Dumbledore’s memory when he visited the orphanage. So he didn't really believe in the coincidence. He would like to, but it was unlikely.

Thinking about it, it was unlikely that he would have died and come back to the past, with differences and with a person who for the moment is the mini Voldemort. And yet there he was, as far as he knew so far.

He must have known for sure.

"And where are you from? I live in Privet Drive a little Whining." he said enthusiastically to encourage him to speak.

"London." he replied dryly after a moment of silence.

Shit.

“And who do you live with? I’m with my uncle and my aunt.” he continued in the same vein.

"No one."

In a way it didn't help him that much. If Voldemort was his father, it was difficult for him to raise a child in the state he was in now...it would probably be difficult for him no matter the situation come to think of it. He wanted to laugh imagining Voldemort taking care of a small child.

“You don’t have any family?” he tried.

"No."

It was difficult to have a discussion if he continued to respond so curtly. Especially since it was strange for him, if this is indeed Voldemort, he should be more talkative. Voldemort was a chatterbox when he wanted to be, especially when it was brushing himself.

“And which house do you think you’re going to? I admit I don’t know.” he lied, he knew he would be sorted into either Gryffindor or Slytherin.

“Slytherin.”

Obviously.

"I can't wait to start classes, especially Defense Against the Dark Arts." he said enthusiastically, even though he knew they would have classes with Quirrel, which was better than Lockart certainly but far from being really good.

No answer. Tom just stared at him, like he had all along. The problem was, he still didn't know for sure that it was the person he thought it was. How can you be 100% sure? Ask him if he had any friends outside? The answer was clearly no and that wasn't clear enough.

"I was surprised to learn that I was a wizard. All my life I wondered what I was... well, I always knew that I was someone apart but from there to be a wizard, never." Harry tried.

Tom's face went from neutral to curious and bright. His eyes took on a slight shade of red, the same as Voldemort's.

"It was a half-giant who taught me that, his name is Hagrid, I think he works as a key guard. And you? How did you learn it?" he continued.

“An old man with terrible clothes.” Tom replied with an expression of disgust as he remembered the scene.

It was sure that Dumbledore had his own sense of style and it didn't suit everyone. Harry smiled as he remembered Voldemort's surprised expression in the memory and saw that the expression was actually similar to Tom's.

"Professor Dumbledore? Have you seen him in person?" he asked enthusiastically.

Tom responded with a nod. He didn't know the wizarding world and therefore didn't know who was important and who wasn't.

"According to Hagrid, Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of the century, almost on the level of Merlin." he explained with the same enthusiasm.

“How could someone, supposedly so powerful, wear this kind of clothing?” Tom asked bluntly.

Harry laughed at the thought, for real this time. It doesn't surprise him knowing who the likely person in front of him was.

"It's probably because he's so powerful that he can afford to dress like that without losing credibility."

Silence fell again. He was curious to know what Tom would do during this silence. He was sure that if he didn't speak, Tom would do the same.

He went to his trunk and took out a random book, he settled back into his seat. He opened it to a random page and started reading it. It was the potions book, it wasn't too bad, remembering Severus he had to get some ideas back into his head. He cast a few glances at Tom who was looking with interest at the book he was reading. Harry tapped the spot next to him for invite him to read with him.

Tom jumped up and rushed beside him, almost snatching the book from his right hand. Harry smiled but said nothing, if he wanted more information about him the scolded one would only become withdrawn.

They read the book in silence for almost the entire trip. Looking out the window and the sun setting on the horizon which told him they were close to Hogwarts. He closed the book which made Tom pout.

“We need to put on our uniforms, we’ll be there soon.” he explained, putting the book in his suitcase while taking his blank uniform.

Tom carefully took his, rolling it carefully in front of him to hide it from view. He must be ashamed to have a second-hand and probably damaged uniform. He understood well how he felt, after all his clothes were Dudley's old, worn out clothes.

Harry turned around to give him privacy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The train arrived at the station, they got out with all the other students from the train, trying as best they could not to be carried away by the current. He saw, in the distance, Hagrid making grand gestures to bring the first years towards him. He grabbed Tom by the shirt and dragged him towards Hagrid. To his great astonishment Tom didn't say anything, he just had his eyes wide open, looking at Hagrid who was still calling out to the remaining first years.

He stood in front of Hagrid with a big smile, returned by the half giant. They got into the small boats on the edge of the black lake. They were facing Neville and Lavender. Neville sat, red-faced and sad-looking. Now that he remembered, Hermione hadn't come to ask them if they had seen Neville's toad. He knew he was going to find him in front of the great hall. Lavender had a big smile, turning her head in all directions to see as many things as possible. Her hair was styled in a coarse braid tied with a purple bow that matched her head. Tom looked with calculating eyes at Neville straight in the eye. One thing tells him that it is legilimency. He remembered that the Tom from Dumbledore's memory had tried to see into his mind.

A wave of exclamations was heard among the students at the sight of the castle. He himself was always amazed at the sight. One of the last memories he had was of ruins, bodies flooding the great hall. This was the castle he had always known, large and majestic. The yellow lights of candles through the many windows reflecting in the lake water. The tall towers almost disappearing into the clouds. From here he could see the window of his dormitory which soothed his heart.

They disembarked from their boats in a silence of wonder and contemplation. They climbed the many steps which took them in front of the immense doors of the great hall, the chatter gradually resuming. The only ones not talking were him and Tom in the end.

"Maybe we'll have to cast a spell?" asked a girl.

“I heard from my brother that we were going to have to face a troll.” a boy commented with a trembling voice.

"I'm sure they'll ask us about the program. I've already learned everything." he recognized Hermione's voice in the background, which made him smile.

“I’m telling you the truth!” exclaimed a voice to their left.

He turned his head and saw Ron's red hair blending into his angry face. He was getting confused with Draco who was looking at him with a little smirk that he recognized well in the Draco of his early years that he had known for a long time. His instinct was to go and defend Ron, but he was intrigued as to what the argument was about.

“How can you be so sure?” Draco mocked sarcastically.

"He's my best friend! At least we're going to be." Ron exclaimed before muttering the last sentence.

Who was he talking about?

"And you think Harry Potter will be friends with a poor Weasley? Friend with someone like you?" Draco retorted looking Ron up and down.

“I know more than you! He and I are friends!” Ron continued to answer, his face becoming almost darker than his hair.

"So where is he? If you're friends he should be there to defend you." This time it was Tom who answered, his expression similar to that of the journal in the chamber of secrets when he told him that he could not do anything against him.

Ron turned around quickly, noticing at the same time that all eyes were on him. Draco started laughing.

"So? No answer?" Draco asked between laughs.

“He has better things to do than answer to two rotten snakes.” Ron spat in disgust, looking at Tom.

"He has better things to do than defend a stupid boy who thinks he's his friend." Tom retorted without even taking Ron's remark into account.

“I don’t think so, we are!!” Ron shouted again.

"For what?" Tom asked, feigning innocent curiosity.

"Because he and I are going to be heroes! We're going to have real adventures unlike you who will just be envious of everything." Ron replied proudly.

Something in Harry shifted from compassion towards the redhead to slight anger. Tom and Draco as well as other future Slytherins laughed heartily at Ron's words. The latter saw red and suddenly pushed Tom who almost fell before he caught him. This time he also saw red. He knew it was because of the soul mark that he was getting angry, but he couldn't back down, at least he didn't want to.

"You're making a fuss. You don't know what you're talking about and it shows. You're just getting noticed unnecessarily, you're better make yourself small now." Harry said with a dark tone, which made the redhead step back.

He turned to Tom who had regained a neutral face. He seemed fine. Ron went to defend himself again but he stopped him in his tracks, he didn't want to hear any more. Draco approached him with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. And they're Crabbe and Goyle." he said, holding out his hand.

The elder had refused his hand, this time he shook it with a discreet smile.

"Potter, Harry Potter. And my friend Tom." he replied, turning his face towards Tom who was looking at him with a look of surprise.

Draco seemed pleased to know whose hand he would hold. Ron broke down as he realized who had just silenced him. The others murmured around them.

McGonagall arrived, attracting the students' attention. All heads turned towards them, except Ron's who was still staring at him with his mouth open.

"Hello to all of you, I am Professor McGonagall, your future Transfiguration teacher." she introduced herself in a strict tone that made some students straighten up.

"You will, shortly, be sorted into the different houses which are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. These houses will be your new homes, your new families, so it is important that you behave appropriately. Indeed your actions will have consequences, the good ones will bring points, the bad ones will take away points, and will influence the ranking of your houses during the 4 house cup. I am therefore counting on you to work and behave well." McGonagall explained, looking carefully at the students to already know which ones will pose a problem and which ones will be calm.

The large doors opened and they followed Professor McGonagall through the great hall where all the other students were already seated, watching and commenting on the newcomers.

Even though he had already been sorted and he knew what happened in the past, the stress overwhelmed him. They walked in front of the teachers' table where the sorting hat was placed on a small wooden stool.

Looking up he saw the different teachers. Severus stared into space with a face half blank, half disgust, nothing different from what he had known. Flitwick, whose head could only be seen, was smiling at the new students, again it was no different. Quirrel had his purple turban wrapped around his head and looked anxious... If Voldemort was behind his head, that meant Tom was someone else. Where was it a Horcrux? It made him more and more confused.

And Dumbledore looked at the different students with his grandfatherly look, his eyes lingering a little on him, shining during their contact. His expression dropped a little as he looked at Tom who was standing next to him. He wasn't the only one to notice the resemblance then. Dumbledore quickly regained his warm expression.

The sorting hat moved making the first years jump, not expecting it to move. He sang a song as usual, he didn't know if it was the same one from his first year, he had no memory of it after all this time.

“When I call your names, you will come and sit on the stool and I will place the sorting hat on your head, which will place you in your houses.” Professor McGonagall announced after the sorting hat was finished.

And after that the sorting began.

“Hannah Abbot.”

Hannah walked over to the stool, trembling, and sat tensely. He hadn't spoken to her again after her and Neville's wedding. Something he regretted greatly, she had always been kind, open and willing. He could have at least sent her a few letters. And the fact that he wasn't talked about that much at Hogwarts was also damaging. He will have to change that.

“Hufflepuff.” shouted the Sorting Hat.

Hannah stood up, embarrassed by the attention she was receiving from her new home. She sat down and already started talking to the person next to him.

“Terry Boots.”
This time a brown haired boy stepped forward with more confidence, although it was fake. His hands trembled under his robes.

“Ravenclaw.” announced the sorting hat.

And he left, more confidently towards the Ravenclaw table.

Lavender was sorted into Gryffindor like in his previous life.

Lots of other students were spread out among the different houses, some taking longer than others. Hermione was also sorted into Gryffindor, Draco into Slytherin, Parvati placed into Gryffindor and Padma into Ravenclaw. And obviously.

“Harry Potter.” Professor McGonagall announced.

He sat quietly on the stool, if everything was like that in his previous life he would also go to Gryffindor and start again-

“Oh, there you are again.” the Sorting Hat told him, cutting off his thoughts.
How could he know?
"I remember everything Mister Potter, I am connected to magic, more than you think." the sorting hat explained, answering his question.
"Last time, I placed you in Gryffindor, which worked out for you. I also said that Slytherin would help you on your path, and I stand by my opinion."

So it will be Slytherin in this life.

"But. I think there is a new door for you elsewhere... Yes, I see for you..."

“Ravenclaw!” the sorting hat exclaimed, leaving him speechless at the result.

He walked towards the Ravenclaw table who cheered him more than the previous students. He sat, thanking and greeting his new home. Looking towards the staff table, everyone seemed surprised, all in different ways: Severus was as if he had been electrified, Flitwick was delighted to have a great wizard among his students and Dumbledore was as if he had seen Voldemort in person in front of him, in fact, even if that had been the case he would have been less surprised.

“Welcome to Ravenclaw,” a soft voice said next to him.
Turning around he saw Cho's sweet face, who greeted him with a big smile. The old one would have jumped to the ceiling in front of the stage. Today he knew that his soul mate was still waiting to be sorted and he no longer wanted Cho in the same way as before. She was a good friend, nothing more.

“Tom Riddle.”

It was finally his turn. He advanced with a conquering air, as same as Dumbledore’s memory remembered. The last of whom looked at him with a calculating look. He must have suspected a few things too.

The sorting hat was placed on the brunette's head, and nothing. In his memories he had been placed in Slytherin immediately just like Draco. But there was a silence, a long silence of several minutes. The sorting hat moved again to announce Tom's placement.

“Ravenclaw!”

Tom stood up but didn't move towards the Ravenclaw table. He had a sullen and disappointed face. He turned to Professor McGonagall and said matter-of-factly.

“Your sorting hat doesn’t work very well.”

A heavy silence passed through the room. Professor McGonagall looked at him with wide eyes, shocked, having never heard a student say something similar to her. Tom walked as if nothing had happened to the Ravenclaws and sat down next to him. Harry held back his laughter as best he could. Surprisingly, the Tom he knew could have made a similar remark, without even realizing what he was saying, or understanding why the others reacted the way he did.

The moment of astonishment passed, the distribution resumed. Dumbledore stood up and wished the student bon appetit. Food appeared on the tables accompanied by sounds of astonishment from the first years. Mashed potatoes, slices of veal, salad, vegetable pie, cheese, everything seemed delicious, just as much as he remembered. His stomach rumbled at the sight. He didn't linger any longer and filled his plate with as much food as he could, he had forgotten how undernourished he was with the Dursleys and how much his body demanded to be nourished.

The Ravenclaw table was less noisy than the Gryffindor table, they spoke more calmly and did not yell to be heard. It wasn't a change that bothered him, it was just a behavior he had to get used to. Looking next to him he saw Tom eating as much as he could, like him, as soon as he finished a mouthful he added a new one. It was far from the vision he had of Voldemort who was always reserved and elegant, it was surely his years in Slytherin around purebloods that formatted him to this standard. It was more comforting to see this more human side, even if it showed his rather complicated past.

The others might think he was just a big eater, after all Ron ate like that and yet he had a happy childhood, but he knew what that meant to them. He didn't make any remark, not wanting to bring down the mood on their side, and above all he didn't know how to start this discussion.

On the other side he could see Padma talking happily with Cho and Terry, from what he heard it was about charms lessons.

He would have to participate in their discussions, but he didn't want to leave Tom aside and he didn't know if he wanted to participate in any discussions.

The meal ended with Dumbledore's speech repeating not to go into the Forbidden Forest, that no one should be outside the common rooms after the lights had gone out, and that the right wing of the second floor was forbidden to all. students unless they want to die. Some students laughed nervously, unsure if it was a joke or not. At the time he hadn't paid attention to this speech, now he understood how irresponsible it was to put a giant three-headed dog in a school full of children. Even more thought that warning was enough to remove himself from any repercussions, it was obvious that some were going to try to go, they are between 11 and 18 years old after all.

“First year, please follow me.” asked a fifth year girl who was to be a prefect.

They followed her to the door of the Ravenclaw common room where a door adorned with an eagle-shaped knocker greeted them.

“Welcome to you my little Ravenclaws, to enter you will have to answer my riddles correctly.” announced the eagle.

“Everything I devour. I gnaw iron, make steel disappear and reduce stones to dust. Who am I?” asked the eagle.

A silence appeared in the group, everyone observed each other trying to know who would have the answer.

"The time." replied a small voice.

Harry turned towards the direction at the same time as all the other students. Tom looked at them all, wary, swaying on his unsure feet. Slytherin had done a good thing for him after all.

"Right answer." announced the eagle which caused the door to open allowing them to enter.

They walked up the stairs that led them inside the main room. The last and only time he had entered it was during the Battle of Hogwarts to look for Rowena's tiara, he hadn't had time to really look at the room itself.

It was big and bright, it was just as warm as Gryffindor's but in a different way. It was surrounded by arcaded windows, which overlooked the mountains surrounding the castle, decorated with blue and bronze curtains. The domed ceiling is dotted with painted stars that reflect on the midnight blue carpet. Opposite the staircase one stood a large library with tables and comfortable armchairs in front of it to allow students to study in the best conditions, which was terribly lacking in the Gryffindor room. In an alcove stood proudly the statue of Rowena with her tiara on her head. On a section of wall there were boards, in addition to the display board, the usefulness of which was lacking for the moment.

The other years were already settled in and chatting or reading books, paying little or no attention to the new students.

“Welcome to you in the great and prestigious Ravenclaw house, that of wisdom, curiosity and creativity. Three great qualities that will make you, and I am sure, great wizards and witches.” greeted the young girl.
"I'm Amber Grouse, your prefect. So if you need anything or have any questions, I'm always available for you." she smiled at all the students.

"I'm going to explain to you the few rules in this house. Firstly, we expect each of you to show a certain rigor in your studies, it doesn't matter whether you get the results, we just want you to do your best. We also expect you to show solidarity with each other, between us mainly but also the other houses, it is important to look elsewhere to open your mind." Amber stated.

Except Slytherin, Harry said in his mind. It was rare to see the snakes with other houses, and this is surely not just a choice of them but an obligation.

"Now I will explain the common room to you. This library is private, you can put your own books there and borrow those of others, provided you put it back in good condition. It is also renewed with new releases purchased by the students . So we expect you to be careful when you take them.” she began.
"To the right of the stairs, behind you, is a study room, with many tables as well as an area for potions and spells. Don't hesitate to ask the older year for help to your homework, we will be happy to help you, just as you can help each other."
"Finally, the bulletin boards, the one in the center is for all general school information like quidditch sign-ups. The one on the left is for any questions you have about magic, whether from the curriculum or not. , the other students as well as Professor Flitwick will be able to answer it for everyone. And the one on the right is for events and ideas for our house." she explained.

It was quite an interesting way of doing things. At least in this life he will be able to do better than in his first where he had been more busy surviving and doing nothing with Ron until Hermione's strapping. Amber finished the tour with the dorms and joined her friends towards the library.

He went up, accompanied by Tom who followed closely behind him. Their dormitory was arranged like that of Gryffindor, minus the garish colors. He walked over to his trunk and his new bed, which was next to Tom's. They changed in silence, getting into their pyjamas. He collapsed into his soft bed, snuggling into the soft, warm blankets. Turning he came face to face with Tom's neutral face staring at him terrifyingly. He jumped in surprise, he hadn't expected this vision at all. He stood up to face Tom who had not taken his eyes off him.

"Yes?" he asked.

“Are we friends?” Tom asked bluntly.

"Um... sure. Don't you want to? I admit I didn't ask your opinion." he replied, taken aback by the other's lack of tact.

"why?"

"I don't know, it's not something you think about. You seemed like a... nice person and I wanted us to be friends." Harry replied, hoping he understood what Tom wanted.

“Do you know the redhead?” Tom continued as if Harry wasn't speaking.

"No, I don't know him. I've never seen him before. I admit I was surprised." Harry lied, he would have a hard time explaining how he knew someone he was supposed to have never seen.

"So why did he say you were friends? And why did the others know you?"

"I- When I was little, a man came to kill me. He killed both my parents. My mother, by sacrificing herself, protected me from the killing curse. That's why they know me, because I'm the only one who survived this fate." he explained, mechanically touching the scar on his forehead, which had surprisingly not hurt him this evening.

It was probably because he hadn't faced Quirrel.

Tom said nothing more and went to his own bed. Harry blinked several times in shock. He remained in the same position for a few seconds before going to bed himself.